Tangles
by Kanshu
Summary: Brushing a dragon's mane is not as easy as it looks.


**Hello! This is my first story that's been put up anywhere, and honestly, I'm a bit nervous. But aside from that I'm also super excited, and I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading! Oh, and there is a teeny bit of language, but I didn't feel like it was worth the T rating, so I'm warning you here. **

* * *

Levy woke, and basked in the early morning light. She heard loud snores coming from the opposite side of the bed, and she moved her head to watch Gajeel's back rise and fall. His mesh of black hair was sprawled behind him in all directions, and the solid script mage reached out to stroke it. It was stiff to the touch, scratching her skin. She frowned. Her hand traveled up his back, and she spread her fingers in the strands, to try to comb out the tangles herself. It was no use, her fingers would not make it down two inches without being caught by massive knots. She huffed in frustration. With a fierce determination, Levy decided she would brush out Gajeel's unruly hair into a silky mane that she could run her fingers through with success at least once. She hopped out of bed in search of her brush.

* * *

Gajeel could feel his scalp ache. It was as if someone had dragged his hair through the dirt and put it into the garbage disposal. He skimmed his hands on the bed, trying to locate the body of his girlfriend. When his hands did not immediately reach her, he opened his eyes. He hissed when the sun assaulted his face, and he guarded himself with his hand. He turned over and looked around the room.

"Levy?"

She was gone. He groaned and got up from the bed, shuffling towards the door. As he reached for the handle, the door swung into his face. Levy appeared behind it, and when she spotted him, she squeaked in surprise and her voice dropped to a whisper.

"Oh! I'm sorry Gajeel, did I wake you up?"

"Nah. I just woke up." Gajeel scratched his head, his fingers also getting caught by the bird's nest he called his hair.

Levy smiled up and him and stretched to the tip of her toes to kiss him on the nose.

"I've got something for you. Go sit on the bed." As Levy spoke with her long finger pointed to the bed. Gajeel raised an eyebrow, but complied. He sat on the bed with his legs crossed and his head in hands. Levy brought a brush from behind her back, and walked towards the bed with purpose.

"What are you gonna do with that?" Gajeel watched with a careful gaze, and he inched back when she took a step froward.

"What does it look like? I'm gonna brush your hair!" Levy sat on the bed behind her mate, but Gajeel moved his head every time she came near it with the brush.

"Gajeel!" Levy whined her at her partner, beating his back with her tiny fists.

"My hair is a bitch to brush. Sorry shrimp." Gajeel crossed his arms and waited for her to stop.

"Please Gajeel?" Levy made her lip quiver and her eyes widen. Gajeel's body tightened and knew he couldn't say no.

"...Just make it quick." Gajeel huffed in annoyance and surrendered his mane to her care.

* * *

Levy tackled his ends with strong brisk strokes, which was easy enough at first. Her brush went higher into the body of his hair, and she felt her brush stop abruptly. She tugged on it, trying to pull out her brush. But it wouldn't budge. She pulled with all the muscle her tiny body contained, but her brush would not move. She heard a loud crack, and her face drained of its color.

"My brush!" Levy shrieked as she held the handle in her hands, astonished.

"What the hell was that?" Gajeel moved his head around, trying to look behind him. Levy held it in place.

"Gajeel, stop. I think my brush got... stuck in your hair. The handle broke off completely!" Levy was devastated. Her trusty brush couldn't even withstand her partner's knotted net of hair.

"Aw shucks, I guess we'll have to stop know huh?" Gajeel's voice dripped with sarcasm and Levy scowled at his back, and at his hair.

"My brush is still stuck!"

"Here." Gajeel reached around and fumbled through his hair, trying to locate the head of the brush. Levy grabbed his hand and placed it over the back of the brush. She was sure he wouldn't get that thing out. Gajeel gripped the brush and gave it a small tug. It came out like it had never been there. No mass of black hair, just the brush head.

"B-but how?!" Levy wailed at her smirking dragon slayer.

"I told you it wasn't gonna be easy, but I'm used to brushing my hair. Plus, you have the upper body strength of a twelve-year-old, shrimp." Levy scowled at him and stuck her tongue out. Wrong move. Gajeel pinched the pink muscle between his fingers and Levy bit down on his fingers roughly. Gajeel yelled out in surprise and jerked his fingers away, holding on to the throbbing bite marks. Pink creeped it's way onto Levy's face as she asked her next question.

"Hey, can I..?" Levy didn't look at him, yet before she could finish her question, he took back the head of the brush and took his hair roughly into his hands, brushing the triple knots out of his hair with only a few pulls. Once he finished he let it down. The late morning sunlight reflected off of it and gave it a slight shine. Levy sat, slacked jawed. Gajeel flopped on the bed, face down in the pillow.

"There. Play all you want." Gajeel's voice was muffled through the fabric, but Levy heard him. The girl grinned as she crawled onto his back, and twirled his silky strands through her fingers, braiding and un-braiding. Soon levy could hear not-so-soft snores from the pillow, and she moved his hair out of the way, snuggled her face into the crook of his neck, and fell asleep.


End file.
